At 12:29 PM 2/19/04, you wrote:
>I did let them do a chemical flush treatment, as well as put an extra
>additive in the new oil (something called "Kleen-Flo TKO Friction
>Shield"). That stuff might be snake oil, but I figured I'd give it a shot
>and see for myself.
Kleen-Flo TKO makes a bunch of specialized auto. cleaning products.
Very good reputation :-) Won't do any harm :-)
>One interesting thing was when they tested the coolant. Bear with me, I
>don't fully remember what they said, but there was something about it
>being almost all glycol and becoming acidic, which would cause it to eat
>away the cooling system from the inside. Also, he said that it wasn't
>showing any thermal protection. Which was strange, because when Bob
>tested it his tester showed it was in good shape.
Prestone recommends between 50% and 70% concentration. At least 50%
is necessary to give adequate amount of corrosion protection as well as
freeze / boil-over protection. However, more that 70% would cause restriction
of the heat transfer capabilities, corrosion and freeze protection.
Ethylene-glycol-based antifreeze contains additives to correct the
pH-balance of
the water, so that it does not turn acidic and allow corrosion to form
inside the
cooling system (lime and mineral deposits for example). As the additives
wear out,
the pH of the water begins to turn acidic. This is why it is necessary to
flush and
replace your antifreeze-coolant at the typically recommended 2 years or 24
months.
When I tested your coolant mix, it was off the scale for sub-zero protection
which meant that there was a really high concentration of glycol in it.
I wonder how your coolant concentration got that high as a 50-50 is
normally adequate around here. Has your coolant been in for more than
two years :-o I know mine has :-(
Sound like everything should be aok. Just keep an eye on your dipstick
(that sounds just TERRIBLE) for awhile :-)
Wonder if that might be the cause of your heater problem i.e. heater core
is plugged up?
Bob
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